Gujarat’s frozen food exports get dedicated rail-to-port cold chain corridor

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — India’s frozen food export ecosystem received a significant logistics boost with the flagging off of the first dedicated reefer container train for HyFun Foods from the strategically located Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Virochannagar to Mundra Port in Kutch, Gujarat. Operated by Adani Logistics Limited (ALL), the integrated multimodal logistics and transport solutions provider of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), the service marks an important step in strengthening cold chain infrastructure linking India’s food processing hubs with global markets.

The initiative brings together HyFun Foods, one of India’s leading frozen food exporters, Adani Logistics and Evergreen Marine Corporation, a global container shipping major, in a tripartite partnership focused on improving the movement of frozen and temperature-sensitive cargo through a seamless rail-to-port supply chain.

The collaboration seeks to combine export efficiency, cargo reliability and sustainability at a time when India’s processed food exports continue to expand across international markets.

The dedicated reefer train will transport HyFun Foods’ frozen products from ICD Virochannagar to Mundra Port, covering an approximate distance of 320 kilometres before onward shipment to markets across southeast and east Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia. The exports are aimed at serving global food brands such as KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Seven Eleven, Subway, IKEA and Taco Bell. 

The development also reinforces the growing strategic importance of ICD Virochannagar within western India’s logistics landscape. Located near key industrial clusters such as Sanand, Viramgam and Kadi, the ICD has emerged as an important multimodal logistics hub supporting exporters with rail infrastructure, warehousing and port access.

The corridor is also expected to strengthen Gujarat’s agro-processing ecosystem by improving market access for manufacturers and food processors across the region. The initiative further aligns with Gujarat’s emergence as a major agro-processing and export manufacturing hub supported by multimodal logistics infrastructure.

 Building a stronger cold chain network

Dedicated reefer rail services are increasingly being viewed as critical infrastructure for improving the competitiveness of agricultural and processed food exports. Rail-led cold chain logistics help reduce transit time, and transportation cost, improve cargo reliability and minimise product loss during transportation.

 The modal shift from road to rail is also expected to lower transportation emissions while enabling higher cargo aggregation for exporters. In this context, the Virochannagar-Mundra corridor is emerging as a scalable logistics model that can strengthen farm-to-port linkages for India’s frozen and processed food sector.

Adani Logistics role in the initiative extends beyond transportation. The company has steadily expanded multimodal logistics infrastructure across ports, inland container depots, rail connectivity and warehousing to support end-to-end supply chain solutions for exporters and manufacturers. 

 Strategic importance of ICD Virochannagar

ICD Virochannagar has gained prominence due to its strategic connectivity advantages and multimodal infrastructure capabilities. The facility provides export-import (EXIM) connectivity to Mundra and Pipavav ports while also linking domestic cargo routes to locations such as Dankuni, Kolkata (West Bengal), Jirania (Tripura), Haldia (West Bengal) and Baihata (Assam).

With an annual handling capacity of 92,400 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and upcoming Grade-A logistics and Industrial Park spread across approximately 0.66 million square feet, the depot is positioned to support growing cargo volumes from Gujarat’s manufacturing and agro-processing sectors. Its access to the Dedicated Freight Corridor also enables efficient double-stack rail operations, improving turnaround time and operational efficiency.

 As India seeks to strengthen trade competitiveness and build resilient supply chains, initiatives such as the dedicated reefer corridor from Virochannagar underscore the growing role of ALL in building future-ready multimodal infrastructure to support expanding agricultural and processed food exports.